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MONTREAL ADVENTURES HIKES -Easy & Intermediate Levels!

DAY HIKING-How to Prepare and What to Bring On Your Hikes
Day hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities, in part because it doesn’t require an immense amount of training, skill, or gear.
It’s also frequently a free to low-cost way to exercise, see new places, and experience the great outdoors.
Hiking can be as easy as a leisurely walk along a well-maintained path or as difficult as a steep ascent up a massive peak. It’s an excellent sport to grow into and enjoy for a lifetime, even as your fitness level waxes and wanes alongside the demands of life.
Day hiking may be an easy outdoor activity for beginners, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to be prepared with the proper knowledge and gear. Hiking can be dangerous if you’re not adequately prepared for a trek’s weather, terrain, and physical demands.
Whether you’re just starting or you’re an experienced hiker, you shouldn’t hit the trail without the hiking essentials. Here’s your guide to preparing for and gearing up for a day hike—whether it’s a tame walk in nature or a trek up Yosemite’s Half Dome.
Are you ready to level up your day-hiking ?
Basic Logistics: How to Plan for a Day Hike
Exploring the unknown is fun, but knowing where you’re going is the best practice when you’re hiking. Keep these tips in mind:

  1. As you’re planning a day hike, research the trail in advance. Use AllTrails or a similar platform to figure out the trail’s length and difficulty level (as rated by others who have gone before you).
  2. Pay attention to elevation gains and the type(s) of terrain you’ll be hiking through. Do your best to find out in advance if there are water crossings, tight switchbacks, uneven terrain, or areas with steep drop-offs.
  3. Research if there are any other noteworthy obstacles you may need to mentally or physically prepare for. Will you be hiking on sand or dirt? Loose rock or scree? Knowing all of this in advance will dictate, to some degree, what you bring hiking.
  4. Check what the weather will be like where you’re going on the day that you’ll be there. This way, if necessary, you can plan by adjusting your gear for inclement weather.

Day hikes, by definition, are hikes that you can complete in one day (meaning, you’re not sleeping overnight on the trail like you would on a backpacking trip or thru-hiking trip).
That said, some day hikes turn into overnight trips when people run into trouble, so it’s best to bring along some emergency items as part of your essential gear. We’ll cover day-hiking essential gear below, but first, here’s what to wear.
What to Wear on a Day Hike
The clothes on your back are pretty important in terms of hiking gear. Get it right, and you won’t even notice what you’re wearing. Get it wrong, though, and you’ll be miserable.
Essential Day-Hiking Gear Checklist
It’s time to brush up on the 10 essentials for hiking: navigation tools, sun protection, extra clothing, a light source, a first-aid kit, fire supplies, tools and a repair kit, food, water, and shelter. Each of these 10 essentials deserves a place on your day-hiking packing list, especially for particularly long or tough hikes.
In addition to your basics, like appropriate clothing, footwear, and a hiking backpack for carrying your essentials, include the following items when packing for a day hike:
Navigation Tools

  • Paper map and compass
  • GPS-enabled device, like a personal locator beacon, a hiking watch, and/or a fully charged smartphone

Sun Protection

  • Sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 or higher
  • Hiking sunglasses with UV protection (wear sunglasses even in the snow to prevent snow blindness)
  • Wide-brimmed hiking hat

Extra Clothing

  • Lightweight outer shell or rain jacket
  • Extra insulating layer (depending on the weather)
  • Gloves and extra socks (in cold and/or wet weather)

Light Source

  • Headlamp or flashlight with extra batteries
  • Backup light source (i.e., a second small flashlight or glow sticks)

First Aid

  • Small first-aid kit, including items like bandages, gauze pads, adhesive tape, and antiseptic wipes
  • Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medication
  • Any personal medications you need

Fire Supplies

  • Waterproof matches and a lighter
  • Fire starters (these can be found on the trail, but it’s wise to bring some along)

Tools and Repair Kit

  • Multi-tool
  • Duct tape
  • Basic repair kit

Food

  • High-energy, nutrient-dense snacks (energy bars, trail mix, etc.)
  • Meal(s) for longer hikes

Water

  • Water bottles and/or hydration pack with water bladder
  • Water-filtration straw or purification tablets

Shelter

Backpack & Storage
DAYPACK – Use a practical daypack to carry your food, water, gear, and extra clothing while you’re day hiking in the backcountry. No need to get fancy, as a lightweight daypack between 10 and 30 liters should get the job done.
Worn Clothing & Carried Gear
When choosing your trail clothes, try to avoid 100% cotton.
When the pros say “Cotton kills,” it’s because the wetter cotton clothing gets, the more body heat you lose in cold and/or windy conditions.
Opt for synthetic materials instead, or cotton/polyester blends made from breathable and moisture-wicking fabric.
These materials will pull sweat and moisture away from your body to the outer layer of the garment, keeping you dry and warm.
Food, Water & Purification
Food and water are your hiking fuels, so kick start your day hike with plenty of calories.
A strenuous, full-day hike can easily burn 3,000 calories.
Some of those calories can be consumed right before you hit the trail, and the rest should be close at hand in your day pack.
Here’s a calories burned calculator to see how much food you should pack.
Always bring at least an extra day’s worth of calories, in case of emergency.
SNACKS – Healthy hiking snacks will be the day hiking fuel that keeps you going, so be sure to pack enough calories to sustain yourself for a long day of hiking. Bring calorie-dense, ready-to-eat foods like nuts, jerky, and meal bars that will keep you going all day on the trail.
Navigation & Communication
Losing your way in the backcountry can be stressful and even life-threatening, so come prepared.
Arm yourself with an accurate map (print and/or digital), a reliable compass, and the skills to stay on track even when the unexpected happens.
MAP – Though many trails are very easy to follow, always bring a detailed print map for less-established day hikes into the backcountry. Should you get lost or disoriented, a good topographical map will show you the contours of the land and guide you back to civilization.
COMPASS – If you don’t know your direction of travel, a map alone might not be enough to get back on the right trail. Always pack a reliable compass — magnetic or digital — and use it in conjunction with your map to keep moving in the right direction.
CELL PHONE – Many hiking purists choose to travel with only a printed map, but the truth is that smartphones can also be excellent tools for navigating the wilderness. Just make sure your smartphone is equipped with GPS technology that doesn’t rely on cell phone tower connections. And keep your battery charged and a backup map close at hand.
POWER BANK – Your cell phone won’t do you much good if its battery dies, so pack a lightweight power bank to charge your cell phone as needed. You likely won’t need a power bank on most day hikes, but it’s a good piece of gear to have in case you get sick, lost, or injured and need to spend the night on the trail.
Emergency Day Hiking Gear
Nobody ever intends to get into an emergency situation on a day hike, but it’s important to come prepared for a worst-case scenario.
Whether you become lost, threatened*,* injured, or sick on your hike, bringing along the all-important emergency gear will help you right the ship and return to civilization safely.
FIRST AID KIT – Prepare for injuries both big and small and pack a basic first aid kit on your next day hike. You can purchase a lightweight first aid kit or piece together one from your medicine cabinet. Here’s a helpful first aid kit checklist to ensure that you don’t leave anything behind.
WHISTLE – If you become lost or injured on your day hike, a loud, piercing emergency whistle can attract & guide rescuers to you, even if they’re miles away. Some hikers keep their whistles close at hand, but many modern-day packs have whistles built into their buckles. Choose & learn your preferred method for summoning help in a potential emergency.
BEACON – Personal locator beacons can be expensive, but they consistently save the lives of hikers in emergency situations. These beacons have technology that tracks your location anywhere in the world, and some can also download maps, send SOS messages, and load weather forecasts.
LIGHTER/MATCHES – Bring a lighter, matches, or a fire starter in case an emergency leaves you lost, injured, or stranded during your day hike. The ability to start a controlled fire to signal for help or to keep warm in the cold could be life-saving.
MULTITOOL/POCKET KNIFE – Though you hopefully won’t need to use one on your day hike, always pack a multitool or a pocket knife to help deal with the unpredictable. A basic multitool can repair gear, assist in first aid, make kindling, and prepare food in an emergency.
HEADLAMP – If your day hike stretches into the night, you’d better have packed a headlamp to help you find your way. A powerful light source can safely guide you down dark trails or can help you signal to rescuers for help if you’re lost or injured.
EMERGENCY BLANKET – In the dreadful event that you get stranded overnight on your day hike, a lightweight emergency blanket could save your life. An emergency blanket’s reflective qualities will trap your body heat and protect you against hypothermia when temperatures drop and you need to hunker down for the night.
BEAR SPRAY – If your day hike takes you into an area known to have bears, bring some potent bear spray to defend yourself against any aggressive ones. The highly-concentrated pepper spray will temporarily blind and disorient the bear from as far away as 35 feet, giving you time to make a quick getaway.
You’re Now Prepped and Ready to Go Day Hiking
Now that you’ve done your homework and packed everything from a first-aid kit and toilet paper to duct tape and your trail runners (or hiking boots), you’re ready for a day hike.
Whether you’re taking a basic 2-mile trail to a point of interest or embarking on a day-long hike into and out of a canyon, being prepared will set you up for a fun and safe adventure.
Use our day-hiking essentials checklist as a guide, but be sure to make adjustments depending on location and season, as well as your particular needs. Always follow the tips outlined in Basic Logistics: How to Plan for a Day Hike, and remember to have fun!

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